On the latest episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus, a college sports podcast powered by Playfly Sports, JohnWallStreet Founder Corey Leff and Playfly Sports Chairman Michael Schreiber sit down with Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark.

In this 50-minute conversation, the trio discuss:

Creating New Assets and IP

The Big 12 brought its commercial rights in-house last year after 27 years of largely outsourcing the sales function, and sponsorship revenue rose 182% YoY. The conference is on pace to deliver comparable growth again this year and is now working to expand commercial inventory and its intellectual property portfolio to keep the momentum going.

“Digital monetization is something that we're truly focused on. We have grown social media engagement exponentially since I got here. Also, how do we think about the regular season a little differently, and what assets do we have during the regular season that truly can be monetized? We’re looking at our tentpole events and trying to determine [if there are] ways to add TV visible signage, additional assets, so we can grow the pie,” Yormark said. “But I look at Olympic sports and truly believe there's upside for us as a conference and a conference office when you think about volleyball, soccer, baseball and softball [too]…This year, for example, we're going to have an in-season challenge for volleyball. That creates a new opportunity for a particular brand to connect with us.”

Leveraging Brand Partnerships to Reach and Engage with Fans

Monster Energy’s entitlement partnership with Big 12 football and men’s and women’s basketball generated significant conversation because of its reported price point. But as The Sports Advisors explained, its greater value lies in the brand’s ability to take the conference into new markets and environments and connect it with a coveted audience.

The deal is "really about activation and the places that Monster can take us so we can engage with existing and new fans…They're distributed in 159 countries. Each month we're going to [use] a different activation moment to take the conference to a place it hasn't been before. [In August], we went racing with NASCAR because [Monster has] deep involvement there. Later this month, you're going to see point of sale displays across the country at different retailers that amplify this partnership, amplify our IP. Candidly, the conference hasn't been taken to retail by many of [its] partners in the past. You're going to see national digital campaigns. And there's more to come beyond that. We'll probably show up in NASCAR again before the end of the season,” Yormark said. Of course, “the demographic that we covet is that 18 to 34 [year-old] and they own it.” 

The Athletic, Academic and Commercial Upside That Exists Abroad

The Big 12 is pursuing a level of international exposure uncommon in college sports. Its motives are part athletic, part academic and part commercial.

“It's very beneficial for us to be globally relevant. You see that with the NBA, Major League Baseball and the NFL…14% of our student athlete population are international student athletes. So, by planting flags throughout Europe, that helps with recruitment. It [also] helps with enrollment. Six of our 16 institutions have international campuses, campuses outside of the domestic marketplace.... In fact, when we play [this] week in London, ASU is opening up an extension of their campus, which is very exciting,” Yormark said. “There are opportunities for global sponsorship and partnership. And another thing that I think about is [monetizing] our international TV rights. [Right now, they are], effectively a throw-in. [But] as we become more relevant globally, there's opportunities to monetize [international rights] in our next TV deal as well.”

📺 Watch the full video on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube Page. 
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We’ll be back with the next episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus on October 1. Northwestern Director of Athletics Mark Jackson will be our guest.

Previous episodes of BBOC, including sit-downs with Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois, Maryland AD Jim Smith, American Commissioner Tim Pernetti, Pittsburgh AD Allen Greene, Wake Forest AD John Currie, Kansas AD Travis Goff, Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris, Big Sky Conference Commissioner Tom Wistrcill, SMU AD Damon Evans, Ohio State AD Ross Bjork, West Virginia President Michael Benson, Weatherford Capital Founding Partner Drew Weatherford, IMG Academy CEO Brent Richard and USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews on the Enrollment Cliff, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould, St. John’s AD Ed Kull, Army AD Tom Theodorakis, Alabama AD Greg Byrne, Clemson AD Graham Neff, Rutgers University Director of Athletics Keli Zinn and Scarlet Knight Enterprises Chairman Oliver Luck, DePaul University AD DeWayne Peevy, East Carolina University AD Jon Gilbert, University of Utah AD Mark Harlan and Crimson Brand Partners CEO Matt Webb, and Georgia Tech AD Ryan Alpert and Executive Deputy AD Brent Jones can be found on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel. 

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In the latest episode of The Sports Advisors, four JohnWallStreet Advisory Advisors discuss LSU taking on the SEC in court and how college football’s growing legal uncertainty changes the risk calculus for schools, brands and media partners.

Nick Kelly, Shripal Shah, John Brody, Pat Crakes, and host Corey Leff discuss the enforcement paradox, why governance chaos shouldn’t tank media rights values, how centralized leadership would help, why brand partners should be buying the controversy, and more.

As always, you can connect with a member of the JohnWallStreet Advisory team by sending a note to [email protected]. In fact, we encourage it!

📺 Watch the full episode on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.